I'm going to be cosplaying Cheza from Wolf's Rain and was hoping I could get a little help with her makeup. I really want to do her justice so I'm trying to capture her urethral beauty as much as I can. The main problem (among other things) is that she has perfect, white skin and I'm more on the tanned, freckled side. I was thinking maybe a body paint instead of foundation since I'm trying to lighten my skin, not darken it and I would need to color the skin showing through the diamond cutouts of her bodysuit. However I have no experience with the stuff so I dunno how well that would work. xD
I have basic foundation and coverup knowledge but I rarely wear it. The only makeup I wear on a daily basis is an eyeshadow/liner/mascara combo. Everything else is more for special events and going out.
I have an oval face and I'd prefer not to contour it if possible since that may be out of my skill range.
Here's a couple of pictures of me (sorry for the bad quality). Just FYI I am wearing some light eye makeup in the pictures, but nothing too drastic. Pic 1Pic 2

Well, in order to make your skin look lighter, you'll need lighter shades of foundation and concealer. Brands like Ben Nye, Kryolan, Mehron, and Graftobian all have the palest of shades. If you want something of a glow, I'd recommend powder. If you've got the money, Hourglass just released a range of illuminating pressed powders. Otherwise, Aromaleigh has some nice ones that are available in sample sizes. Also, NYX Mosaic Powder in "Highlighter" is a nice luminescent shade, which will give you an ethereal glow. Apply these to the high points of the face, rather than all over.
Finally, her lips appear lilac. Both Shiro Cosmetics and Fyrrinae has lip products in that shade, which are also available in smaller sizes ($2 or less). You can also check the drugstore and see which brands offer that shade of purple lip product.

In all honesty, it's not important for a cosplayer and their character to have a matching skin tone. I wouldn't sweat it.

A lighter foundation may do the trick, but be careful not to go too light; if you go in with something that is white it'll make you look ashy and grey. It's hard to tell but it looks like your skin tone has a slightly olive cast to it, if you go lighter and make sure to pick a shade with a similar undertone it would look a lot better.

You can also put the foundation on your body, but I would powder it so it stays.

An easier method (as PSY-chan mentioned; you don't have to match the foundation exactly) would be to give yourself a radiant complexion and highlight the crap out of your face. Some brands sell all-over radiance products, but really anything that has a shimmer to it, and is slightly lighter than your complexion will work. If you brush it over your cheekbones and down the centre part of your face (bridge of nose + surrounding area) it'll give you a beautiful glow.

As for products, it's hard to say without knowing what brands you have nearby. But most brings will offer highlighters. For lighter foundations I might reccomend Make up forever, Lancome, illamasqua or Kat Von D if you have a Sephora nearby.